An apology for fascism in the capital of the "crusade": the "Diario de Burgos" and "El Castellano" serving the cause of Franco

Abstract

The contents of the press in Burgos during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) are examined in this study. Burgos was converted into the capital of nationalist Spain after the coup d’état against the Republic. In the new totalitarian vision that the Francoist regime had kept in reserve for the communications media, the Diario de Burgos and El Castellano newspapers functioned from the very first day as spokespersons and loudspeakers of Fascist propaganda. Their new role is observed through the analysis of their front pages as newspapers of ideological struggle at the bidding of the Francoist cause; the armed conflict is the principal theme, although with its prolongation over time, its importance diminished to give coverage to other questions, and the treatment of newsworthy items, being quite similar to the potent system of censure and press guidelines, underlines the ultra-Catholic and more doctrinaire nature of El Castellano.